Along with the Nora Roberts novel (did I really admit to that on the internet?), I also finished Half of a Yellow Sun and Icefields on my August vacation.

Half of a Yellow Sun has been tempting me for months, ever since my sister passed it on to me. It’s the story of five characters in Nigeria/Biafra during the political turmoil of the 1960s. It’s stunning, harrowing, celebratory, sad… a completely satisfying choice. It was so engrossing that I read the entire Author’s Notes, simply because I didn’t want to stop reading.

Icefields has been waiting for me even longer. I bought it because it was a Canada Reads selection, but the topic wasn’t working for me. It’s got a rather cold, uninviting cover. And the whole “ice” theme… it wasn’t saying “summer.”

I am happy to report I was wrong. Totally wrong. I loved the book. In fact, the only thing about the entire novel that I didn’t like was the note on the back cover that read, “[Thomas Wharton] currently resides in Edmonton, Alberta, with his wife and his three children.” Because, really, anyone who can raise three children and write a novel like that is just showing off.